ADR-006: MikroTik RouterOS v7 Abstraction Layer

• Status: ACCEPTED
• Deciders: Lead Architect
• Date: September 2026

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Context

RouterOS offers multiple interfaces: REST API over HTTP/HTTPS, binary API protocol (port 8728), SSH, and SNMP. Directing raw socket calls from viewsets or background tasks creates tight coupling, rendering unit testing impossible without physical routers.

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Decision

Isolate all RouterOS operations behind apps/network/services/mikrotik/:

• MikroTikClient handles transport (REST vs binary API), connection pooling, and timeouts.
• MikroTikService translates high-level ISP intents (create_pppoe_user, sync_sessions, get_traffic) into RouterOS commands.
• Controllers and Celery tasks interact only with MikroTikService.

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Consequences

• Positive: Clean abstraction; trivial mocking in unit tests (unittest.mock.patch); seamless failover between REST and binary protocols.
• Negative: Adds an additional layer of code indirection.